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Stephan Riltz
Stephan Ulrich Wolfgang Riltz was a Uranian politician who briefly seized power in the Uranian Empire in a coup d'etat, overthrowing and executing Emperor Mathew II. He was in power for just over two weeks before he was himself overthrown in a counter-coup, and subsequently executed. His seizure of power threw the Uranian Empire into turmoil at a critical period in its war with Carsia; the coup is often cited by historians as being one of the major factors in the eventual Uranian defeat three-and-a-half years later. An economist by trade, he emerged as a trusted figure in Matau Henries government, eventually being appointed as Minister of Economics in 9 ANE. After Thomas I took power and installed the imperial system of government, he was appointed as Minister of the Interior, thus giving him enormous amounts of power. At the same time, he effectively became de-facto leader of Grosse, essentially giving him command of his own paramilitary forces. His bitter rivalry with Matau Langweilig escalated in this period, and when Langweilig became Emperor after Thomas I's death, Riltz set about building enough influence to attempt a coup and overthrow him. Riltz used the civilian police, the various paramilitary units under his command and his influence in Grosse to seize power on the night of 18-19 August 13 ANE. Heavily-armed police and paramilitary swarmed into the government and imperial buildings in Zentrum and arrested all Langweilig loyalists and Langweilig himself, who was almost immediately executed to prevent his escape (crucially, Paul von Mackenheimer managed to escape by jumping through a window and into a car on the night of the coup). Riltz declared the end to the Imperial system of government and a return to republican rule (albeit as a one-party dictatorship) and proclaimed an interim Provisional Governmental Committee, naming his co-conspirers in the coup as the new government. His intention was to dismantle the Uranian Empire over the next six-month period while halting the offensive in Carsia, which was haemorrhaging money and men. The system of government under the dictatorship of Matau Henries was to be re-instated, with the monarchical transformation of the country to be reversed. However, von Mackenheimer's escape allowed him to use the Army, the Imperial Guard and elements of the Secret Police loyal to the throne to out-manoeuvre Riltz. The situation throughout the two weeks Riltz controlled Zentrum was highly confused. The armed forces, conducting a bloody war in Carsia had no idea who was in charge. Many forces outside of Zentrum refused to accept Riltz's government and declared their loyalty to von Mackenheimer, and as such Riltz's authority only ever in reality extended to Zentrum, certain areas of the central Uranian Empire as well the southern portion of what was formerly Jaspar. On the evening of 3 September 13 ANE, the Army under the command of von Mackenheimer moved to oust Riltz from Zentrum. Upon the arrival of the Army, the Police and paramilitaries immediately disowned him and declared their loyalty to von Mackenheimer. At least seven of Riltz's allies committed suicide, while Riltz himself was captured.